With a quick turn of the dial, your submissive is reduced to a toy in your hands — what a powerful feeling!

Electrical current can produce unique sensations, from the intensely pleasureable to the intensely painful. And sometimes one can’t say if it’s pleasurable, painful, ... or just plain weird. Even when it feels delicious, there seems to be a part of the mind that’s uncomfortable (or even downright terrified) by it. Playing with that sense of “wrongness” is terrifically erotic and can add to a variety of electroplay scenes, from interrogation to “alien rape.”

Regardless of the Tens Unit settings you choose, there are many factors that may effect how your subject feels the intensity of the electricity — including how hydrated he is, if his skin is wet or sweaty, exactly how the electrodes are placed, the size of the electrodes, and more subtle factors. The exact configuration you used on the same subject yesterday may feel different today, so communication is extremely important. Have your subject let you know the moment he starts to feel the sensation, and require him to keep communicating regarding it’s intensity and nature. Once you have a good feel for how his body and breathing are responding to pleasurable and painful sensations, you can start to read his reactions and play his body like an instrument for your pleasure.

I tend to focus on the sensual side, bringing in erotic pain as a spice — so I use larger electrodes where the subject will feel the sensation across the area between the contact points. Smaller electrodes will concentrate the sensation at the contact point. Be sure to have clean contacts and good lubrication to avoid the feeling of a “hot spot.” Avoid hair and metal jewelry when choosing where to connect. Conductive gels or water-based lubes with a little salt added, work best. Don’t use a silicone based lubricant (silicone is an insulator).

Some other basic safety considerations:

Only use below the waist on unbroken skin!

Make sure your subject is well insulated from the ground, metal objects, and water.

Do not use the tens unit at the same time as the violet wand

Know your equipment. Read the instruction booklet and try each step on yourself with another person present.

Always start play in the “off” position with the amplitude at the lowest setting.

Always turn the power all the way down or to “off” when making, changing or removing connections

Make certain that your electrodes make good contact (poor contact can cause burns)

Adjust intensity slowly in steps; avoid holding for long times at higher intensities (which can cause numbness)

Unipolar connections must be used in pairs. The current will flow between them along the path of least resistance. Generally speaking, this means the shortest path between two points, but there are other factors that may affect the skin’s resistance. The subject may feel all of the sensation concentrated at one of the points, rather than the other — and it may not be at the point you’d prefer! Experiment with different size electrodes and the length of your path.

Bipolar toys contain both poles and the electrical current flows within the toy. I find these toys are simpler to use, but offer less flexibility in the range of sensation they can create.

You can build intensity using the same pattern that an aerobic machine does “interval training.” Start at a low intensity and hold there for a few minutes. Increase the intensity and hold, then reduce the intensity to the previous level. Increase the intensity again, gradually, to an even higher level, and hold for a few minutes. Reduce the intensity back down to the original level. Keep repeating this cycle, going higher and higher, as appropriate for your scene.

Everyone has their favorite wave forms for different purposes and for different parts of the body. For example, on the ErosTek 232 box, I often use “Waves” or “Stroke” on the cock, “Intensity” on the balls, and “Thrust” or “Throb” in the ass. You and your subject will quickly find the best wave forms for your own pleasure and pain.

When you get creative, there are all kinds of possibilities for toys, unusual sensations, and predicaments. In a presentation she gave at the Looking Glass last year, Mistress Brianna of Washington DC showed a collection of “electrical” toys she had bought in the kitchen tool department at Williams & Sonoma.

If you’re all fired up to pursue this type of play, I highly recommend the upcoming class which will cover electrical play: